‘Toughness’ would be good for Nebraska football, but talent would be better

[Landlord]

1. They do, absolutely, have more national credibility than we do as a currently relevant program.

Since 2001:

Michigan - 5 Top-10 finishes, 2 conference championships, 4 major bowl appearances, 2 11 win seasons

Nebraska - none of those

2. A more successful, more celebrity, more perceived as elite coach

3. Population density. While a high school kid might not say "they have better population density", there's a reason Nebraska is considered a flyover state, and it's because of nationwide perceptions of our states, which matters, and which Michigan has on us.

4. A better, bigger school

 

[Saunders]

Nebraska has the third longest conference title drought in the Big 10, leading only Minnesota and Indiana. Just let that sink in.

I know I posted that article, but that stat is so cherry picked, it could be a political point.

Nabbed it from Lee's article. Reading that stat is about as stimulating as waking up after a night of heavy drinking. In fact, if I read that start after a night of heavy drinking, I just may pick up the bottle again.

The problem with stat is that it counts ties as a conference title, and gives teams like Iowa, Maryland, and Rutgers conference titles that they didn't actually win.

 

[Undone]

I think MSU would disagree with you. Their recruiting classes are not on the same level as Ohio St but have managed to hold their own against them.

They've fielded two really good quarterbacks in a row. If the three we have at our disposal for next year are what we think they are, it could be a pretty insane game changer.

I think we tend to discount just how badly we've been hurting at the QB position for roughly eight seasons.

 

[Landlord]

I think MSU would disagree with you. Their recruiting classes are not on the same level as Ohio St but have managed to hold their own against them.

They've fielded two really good quarterbacks in a row. If the three we have at our disposal for next year are what we think they are, it could be a pretty insane game changer.

I think we tend to discount just how badly we've been hurting at the QB position for roughly eight seasons.

Yeah having the first-team all-conference quarterback as picked by the coaches was particularly really painful.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Remember the cloud that descended on Nebraska football in 2004, the year Bill Callahan took over for Frank Solich?

Here is Michigan's record since 2004 under four different coaches. I'm counting two seasons that would have been acceptable to Husker fans in 2004, and even those 11-2 years would have generated grumbling in some quarters. If you were to ask a fan or player if they would rather be Michigan or Nebraska over the last dozen years, the answer isn't all that clear.

9-3

7-5

11-2

9-4

3-9

5-7

7-6

11-2

8-5

7-6

5-7

10-3

 

[GBRFAN]

So what you are saying is that you want to bet some money?

Last i checked this wasn't a betting site - so i don't beleive you will get a taker, howerver if things change i will take this quote for $1,000

"We are never going to land the number of 4 and 5 star recruits that OSU and Michigan do" (posted by you)

First never is a long time and i'm guessing our 95 and 96 classes were superior to both MU and OSU. OSU just won a NC and MU has a coach that is a solid fit for them at this time. NU has the opportunity to move in that direction.

 

[Count 'Bility]

Remember the cloud that descended on Nebraska football in 2004, the year Bill Callahan took over for Frank Solich?

Here is Michigan's record since 2004 under four different coaches. I'm counting two seasons that would have been acceptable to Husker fans in 2004, and even those 11-2 years would have generated grumbling in some quarters. If you were to ask a fan or player if they would rather be Michigan or Nebraska over the last dozen years, the answer isn't all that clear.

9-3

7-5

11-2

9-4

3-9

5-7

7-6

11-2

8-5

7-6

5-7

10-3

Exactly. if youre gonna go back to 2001 to support your arugument, then I'm going back to 1993 to debunk it. And in this day and age, where everyone uses the whole "no one cares about 10 years ago" argument, and it's a what have you dont for me lately society, well, then I continue to stand on my point. These coaches' recruiting are proving the perception wrong. And that it was a copout all along.

 

[junior4949]

Toughness is a major part of 'talent' in my view. I think the glaring omission in this entire discussion of recruiting class rankings is the question of meaningfulness of the rankings and reliability thereof. Nebraska's 1995 is widely held to be the best team ever. Nobody has shown us a better one, even after 20 years of champions since. That team may have had some good recruiting classes but it was not filled with 5 star players.

The difference between a 3 star with "Husker heart" and determination compared to a 5 star player with ego and selfish attitude is glaring. We want the player with heart and 3 star level skills as opposed to the superstar that has the wrong mindset.

Things have changed a lot in the last couple of decades. How many Terry Connealy's has Hyannis churned out lately? How many Makovicka's has Brainard churned out lately? How many Wiegert's has Fremont been churning out? Nebraska high school football isn't nearly what it was back then. Locally, almost every high school played 11 man ball back then. Today, almost all of them play 8 man ball. Heck, even Lincoln and Omaha aren't cranking out Ahman Green's, Crouch's, etc.

We definitely want the bolded part, but unfortunately we just don't have it anymore in terms of in-state local talent. Some of it comes down to economics where local players are opting for smaller schools where they get a scholarship versus walking on at Nebraska. However, I don't think that is the main reason. I watch quite a bit of high school football and have for the past 25 years. I used to see at least a couple of players on any given year that definitely were Husker material. It's been well over five years since I've watched even one.

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Toughness can be coached, I suppose. Maybe it's part of a culture, but if you choose to play football it's kinda built into the game itself.

I'm just wondering how Bo Pelini could be the coach of one of the baddest a$$ defenses in Nebraska history in 2009, then three years later be overseeing one of the most fragile defenses in Nebraska history.

Same coach. Same culture. Same game.

Different players?

Somehow that championship level defense was comprised of players willing to come to Nebraska.

Nebraska moved to the Big Ten. The defense needed to compete and win in the Big XII is/was probably different than the defense needed to compete in the Big Ten.

 

[junior4949]

Toughness can be coached, I suppose. Maybe it's part of a culture, but if you choose to play football it's kinda built into the game itself.

I'm just wondering how Bo Pelini could be the coach of one of the baddest a$$ defenses in Nebraska history in 2009, then three years later be overseeing one of the most fragile defenses in Nebraska history.

Same coach. Same culture. Same game.

Different players?

Somehow that championship level defense was comprised of players willing to come to Nebraska.

Nebraska moved to the Big Ten. The defense needed to compete and win in the Big XII is/was probably different than the defense needed to compete in the Big Ten.

Maybe I'm just not looking at this from the right angle, but do you honestly think B1G teams would have run all over our 09' defense had we changed conference a few years earlier?

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

Toughness can be coached, I suppose. Maybe it's part of a culture, but if you choose to play football it's kinda built into the game itself.

I'm just wondering how Bo Pelini could be the coach of one of the baddest a$$ defenses in Nebraska history in 2009, then three years later be overseeing one of the most fragile defenses in Nebraska history.

Same coach. Same culture. Same game.

Different players?

Somehow that championship level defense was comprised of players willing to come to Nebraska.

Nebraska moved to the Big Ten. The defense needed to compete and win in the Big XII is/was probably different than the defense needed to compete in the Big Ten.

Maybe I'm just not looking at this from the right angle, but do you honestly think B1G teams would have run all over our 09' defense had we changed conference a few years earlier?

Not with those elite NFL caliber players they wouldn't have. We don't have any of those on our defense anymore. Not yet anyway.

 

[It'sNotAFakeID]

Not to the tune of how many points and yards Nebraska gave up in 2012, but I'm not sure it would've been as low as it was in 2009. Perhaps I'm wrong. I'm not intending to say that Nebraska's switch to the Big Ten was the sole reason why the defense regressed, but it could be a factor.

 

[BRV920]

Well GBR fan I didn't say I would bet on us landing more 4 or 5 star recruits than OSU. I said if you think we are going to out recruit OSU for 5 years in a row I'd like to bet some money.

 

[junior4949]

The athletes involved with the different defenses were really the key. Bo could develop and coach elite talent. The 09' defense could have played with anybody.

 

[Count 'Bility]

The athletes involved with the different defenses were really the key. Bo could develop and coach elite talent. The 09' defense could have played with anybody.

I agree with the coaching elite talent. It's hard for me to agree that he could develope it. If he could do both? We never woulda gave up 70 and 408. I think we have this false notion of his developemtn abilities that were created by the 09 defense, and the fact that so many of those guys were of the Callahan years that really sucked, when in all reality, those dudes were extremely gifted to begin with, and straight up ballers. That season created this "Bo's a great developer" label, when most of it was possibly just simply maturity and growth of an already gifted player.